Bridgeport’s Socialist Mayor Jasper McLevy was cheap, so cheap in fact his Public Works Director Peter Brewster embraced a strange way to clear the streets of snow. Let the Guy who put it there take it away! Well, God would eventually get around to it, if one of Brewster’s trucks would not. But could Jasper be so frugal as not to provide enough voting machines (the way they voted then)?
As the recount of Election Day ballots continues today at City Hall Annex, just across the hallway the mayor’s informal Election Review Advisory Commission led by former Mayor Nick Panuzio and attorney Richard Bieder began its second meeting to absorb info and recommend solutions so the city never again endures this kind of election madness.
Plans include hearing from various Bridgeport election officials. Hey, they’re all across the way, let’s bring them over. The meeting, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. is open to the public. Please remind them to print more ballots next time. Mayor Bill Finch announced on radio station WICC this morning that the state should look at touch screen voting as a replacement for the paper ballot scanning process. He claimed it’s more reliable.
Maybe today the ballot results compiled by city staff and a bunch of volunteers, at the urging of the CT Post, will be completed, and measured against the official tally submitted to the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Office. So far, in the week-long tabulation count, no major revelations. Maybe we can wrap this thing up, place a bow on the ballots and move on soon … because we have a mayoral election coming in 2011. And that won’t be boring, will it? Nah.
Touch Screen is more reliable … if you are trying to steal an election without leaving tracks. Not that they would ever think of doing that in Bridgeport.
Lennie:
Jasper answered your question in his photograph. He is holding onto the lever for the third line–Socialist.
Vote Socialist.
The Democrats and Republicans are Tweedledee and Tweedledum!
On a serious note, people have a tendency to think if something is “computerized” it is more “modern” and therefore more efficient and accurate.
While bulky and difficult to move around, mechanical voting machines proved their value, if properly maintained, for decades to accurately and securely count votes.
Tricks to beat mechanical machines are the same to beat electronic devices. There are a couple new wrinkles depending on the electronic device.
Life is not perfect. Bridgeport election cheaters exist and deserve to be hunted down. Most elections are reasonably honest, however. Mistakes are made. Between me and our friends here at the blog: Do you realize they also make mistakes at polls in other parts of the United States too?
Bridgeport’s ballot bungle is embarrassing. It would be worse if the community did not attempt to learn from it.
That is an important reason why the recount is so important. It will keep legends from developing about voting in Bridgeport. In a few days an impartial count will be available. Problems can be dissected rationally. Solutions suggested and decisions made can be done intelligently and dispassionately.
Wild stories will be throttled before they have a chance to become “fact.”
I am a writer, and a storyteller. I like a good yarn with the best of them. I have a few Bridgeport stories about rotten elections, some truthful and some fanciful.
But like any American, or anyone anywhere that believes in democracy, I want my vote counted in elections. OK, it ain’t perfect. Half the battle is trying and not just writing it off as “it’s always been that way.”
*** Can’t wait to hear about all the new solutions found after the recount other than not enough ballets, poor planing & attention to detail, difference between photocopies & original ballots and of course, pre-training for all poll workers. *** FORGETABOUTIT ***
As Jim has indicated … I want to vote … then I want the vote to be included in the final count … I want it to matter … even if it is a vote for a losing candidate …
And I want to be received courteously by those who work at the polls … I am exercising a civic responsibility when I include preparing myself to vote and then actually becoming available to do so on election day.
Finally, I want my vote to be made in privacy or at least with confidence in confidentiality, such that my opinion or position cannot become known with the potential for coming back to be used against me at some future time. (But it might be interesting to have a printed receipt of the activity that might create a sense among those supporting non-mainline candidates, that the votes were included. Backers could add up the receipts that should never be more than the official count.
Integrity of the system is paramount.
BEACON2 // Dec 6, 2010 at 1:35 pm
responding to your post
Do you think the integrity of the Bridgeport ballot process will be restored by next election in 2011?
From what I heard today, at least the panel is a well-intended group of human beings.
I listened to the meeting today and I’ll go to the next one on the 21st. This is a perfect meeting for the OIB world to attend. My question still remains. Does the panel carry statutory authority to effect needed changes? They do not have that authority at this moment.
Mayoral candidate John Gomes has suggested that our legislative delegation from Bridgeport to the General Assembly in Hartford immediately introduce remedial legislation when the session starts in January. This would be a way to implement recommendations with statutory force.